Stuff-Review

LG Optimus 4X HD official: 4.7-inch quad-core Tegra 3 smartphone with Android 4.0

2012-02-23T10:38:45Z

It’s no secret that we will be seeing a lot of Tegra 3 devices at MWC 2012, but LG has just beat everyone else to officially announce the first quad-core smartphone, named Optimus 4X HD (a.k.a. LG X3). Looking past LG’s lengthy naming convention, the new smartphone will certainly become the flagship for its 2012 lineup. It’s a massive 4.7-inch device with a 720p HD IPS LCD display running on the 1.5GHz quad-core (or 4-PLUS-1 as NVIDIA calls it) Tegra 3 SoC. Inside that 8.9mm thin body, you’ll find 1GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage and a not too shabby 2,150mAh battery.

The Optimus 4X HD will be running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and we’ve already seen that Tegra 3 SoC grabbing a 4,412 Quadrant score, handily beating other ICS devices like the Galaxy Nexus (full review here).

LG has said that the new smartphone will be heading for Europe in the second quarter of 2012, though no news on US availability yet.

Story Timeline

Alexis Phi for Stuff-Review, 2012. | Permalink | No comments yet! Be the first to comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Android, LG, LG X3, MWC 2012, NVIDIA Tegra, Nvidia Tegra 3, Optimus X4 HD, smartphones

Gadget lust: five new official videos on the Olympus OM-D E-M5

2012-02-22T20:54:47Z

Olympus Australia has posted five new videos covering every facet of the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera. The demo videos cover the 5-axis in-body image stabilization, the camera’s superfast autofocus with 3D object tracking, 9 frames per second burst shooting and the new electronic viewfinder.

We’ve especially noted how much Olympus has improved on the software for the camera. There are three different styles of information overlay in the EVF and some innovative creative controls, like an adjustable highlight and shadow curve. The latest info point to an April 10th shipping date for the camera, which can be pre-order in the US here and Germany here.

5 Axis Image Stabilisation

Autofocus Speed

EVF and creative control

9 frames per second shooting

3D tracking autofocus

Story Timeline

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Post tags: digital cameras, EVIL, MFT, Micro Four Thirds, MILC, Olympus, Olympus E-M5, Olympus OM-D E-M5

Google Docs for Android update brings real-time collaborative editing and rich text

2012-02-22T20:03:26Z

Google has just announced a new version of its Google Docs for Android app, that won’t just let you edit documents on the go, but will also allow you to co-edit them in realtime with other users.

Google is mirroring the same desktop experience on Android mobile devices, so provided you have an active data connection on your smartphone or tablet, you’ll be able to see live updates in documents as others type or their computers or mobile devices and you can easily join in or invite others to collaborate on your own documents.

The new update brings a host of interface improvements as well. You can now pinch to zoom into your document, making review and edits easier. Finally you can now do some rich text formatting, like adding color or making text bold or italic. Head over to market link below to download the app.

Story Timeline

[Google Docs Android Market, via Google Mobile Blog]

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Post tags: Android, Android apps, Google, Google Docs

Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 SoC benchmarked, wipes the floor with last generation chips

2012-02-22T15:56:06Z

The rising popularity of mobile devices has made some system on chips (SoCs) household names. One of these, is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon family of SoCs found in some of the finest smartphones and tablets. Qualcomm has been talking about its new Snapdragon S4 (“Krait”) architecture based on a 28 nm process for some time now and we’re expecting to finally see devices running on the SoC at Mobile World Congress next week. Yet, it had been unclear what the performance advantage would be from the new architecture.

The fellows over at AnandTech recently got to take home a Qualcomm S4 Mobile Development Platform, which is a posh name for a test smartphone, containing the first chip from the family, an MSM8960. The MSM8960 has dual 1.5GHz Krait cores, an Adreno 225 GPU and integrated support for practically all wireless radio technologies out there, including HSPA+ and LTE.
(...)
Continue reading: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 SoC benchmarked, wipes the floor with last generation chips

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Post tags: Qualcomm, Qualcomm MSM8960, Qualcomm Snapdragon, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, SoC, system on a chip, tegra

Microsoft shows off Windows 8 SkyDrive cloud integration: Metro style app, sync and large file support

2012-02-20T19:21:49Z

We’ve been following the development updates from the Windows 8 team for a while now and we had no doubts that Microsoft would be adding some sort of cloud integration into the new operating system. We are users of Microsoft’s SkyDrive cloud storage service and although you can already mount it as a network drive on Windows PCs you had so far been limited on the functionality and use.

Windows 8 will be offering much tighter integration with SkyDrive, actually in pretty equivalent terms to what Apple is doing with iCloud in the upcoming OS X Mountain Lion.

First of all, SkyDrive will be integrated into Windows Explorer, making the experience of saving and retrieving something from the cloud the same as for local storage, without requiring difficult setups. Note that Windows Vista and Windows 7 will also be getting downloadable SkyDrive clients, though OS X still remains pending.

More exciting is the new ability to sync all your settings, browser history, customizations and personal files between PCs. If you use multiple computers, then you simply have to login on a different Windows 8 machine and it will become yours, with all your settings and files up-to-date.

Microsoft has also developed a touch friendly Metro style app for SkyDrive using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5, which it promises will be fast and functional. It will also allow other Metro apps to use SkyDrive for storage without the need for developers to write even a single line of additional code, the feature will be baked in.

If you forgot to put a file onto SkyDrive, you will still be able to access it from your SkyDrive connected PC through SkyDrive.com by providing secondary authentication as an additional layer of security.

Finally, you will also be able to upload files up to 2GB, removing previous limitations. From a secondary source, it has been leaked that Microsoft will soon be offering paid additional storage over the current 25GB free limit.

Some of the new SkyDrive functionality will be available on the upcoming Consumer Preview of Windows 8 to be released in a few days.

Story Timeline

[Building Windows 8 blog]

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Post tags: Microsoft, operating systems, SkyDrive, Windows 8

Panasonic names its new Europe-bound 4.3-inch skinny D-shaped smartphone Eluga

2012-02-21T13:34:37Z

We love punctuality. Panasonic promised us in December that it would be entering the world smartphone market, using Europe a stepping stone, with a new handset this March, and today we have a name for said device. The Panasonic Eluga, is the same skinny D-shaped 4.3-inch OLED qHD Android device that we saw last year.

The device is sporting an 8.2-megapixel rear camera, without a flash, dual-core 1GHz OMAP 4430 SoC and running Android 2.3. It’s said to be water and dust proof according to international standard IP57, while staying an amazing 7.8mm thick and weighing 103g. Even if we can get over some of the design choices for the device, we really can’t get over the name. Personally I prefer the utilitarian P-04D model name given to the handset in Japan.

The Panasonic Eluga will be heading to Europe in April, though a US release date is still pending. As we’ve said before, we’re still hoping Panasonic will bring over to the world some of its tastier Lumix-branded camera phones.

Story Timeline

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Post tags: Android, OMAP4430, Panasonic, Panasonic Eluga, Panasonic P-04D, Panasonic smartphone, smartphones

Olympus E-M5 destroys the PEN E-P3 in high-ISO tests

2012-02-20T15:46:59Z

We’ve been covering the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds (MFT) digital camera ever since it was initially rumored and following the official announcement two weeks ago, we now have a long wait until it finally ships this April. We’ve already done a spec comparison to other high-end mirrorless cameras and we’ve seen how it sizes-up against the competition, but of bigger importance is how it actually performs and especially in low-light — a sticking point for the otherwise excellent MFT format.

The first high-ISO test of the Olympus E-M5 showed some promise, with little noise or artifacts up to ISO 3,200. During the weekend, Four-Thirds User has posted a high-ISO comparison between the E-M5 and the previous generation Olympus PEN E-P3. As previously, the test was done with a pre-production version of the E-M5 but the results are impressive.

The E-M5 maintains a steady lead in terms of noise and shadow detail of around two stops over the E-P3. This is a remarkable improvement for a one generation jump. These are out-of-camera JPEG files, and we would also say that at least this early E-M5 firmware is less aggressive in noise-reduction compared to the E-P3.

If you are not entirely convinced by out-of-camera JPEGs, Four-Thirds User has also published files converted from RAW here. Have a look at this completely usable ISO 6,400 ‘noise filter off’ image.

Story Timeline

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Post tags: comparison, digital cameras, high ISO, Micro Four Thirds, Olympus, Olympus E-M5, Olympus E-P3, Olympus OM-D E-M5

Google Goggles app can now recognize amongst 45,000 types of banknotes

2012-02-19T18:10:48Z

Google’s Goggles app is striving to become a Swiss army knife for globetrotters. Using your device’s camera and an active data connection, Goggles can recognize landmarks and famous artworks and more recently it can even translate text on the fly.

The always-active Google development team has been adding even more capabilities to Goggles and it has just enabled the app to recognize between more than 45,000 types of currency from over 300 countries. Currently the app is limited to banknotes, and as usual you just take a picture of the note and it will come back with the type, amount and links to further information.

The app can even recognize some out of circulation notes, like the pre-Euro Italian lira and the French franc. I’ve tested it on a couple of different currencies with on the spot results every time. The app is available for free on the Android Market and in the Apple App Store as part of the Google Search app.

Story Timeline

[Google+ post]

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Post tags: Android apps, Google, Google Goggles, iOS apps

Purported iPad 3 leaked photo shows larger lens 8-megapixel camera and gentler curvature

2012-02-19T15:31:24Z

We’re expecting an iPad 3 announcement early next month. We won’t be repeating all the earlier rumors in this post but you can check our timeline below. One of these rumors points to the obvious inclusion of a higher resolution rear camera with a bigger lens. So today, a Chinese publication claims to have images of the iPad 3 showing the refreshed back of the device.

From the images, one can distinguish the larger camera lens and a more gentle curvature from the back to the edges compared to the iPad 2. The publication also reiterates the 8-megapixel camera rumor, which we would guess is the same as the one found in the iPhone 4S.

Story Timeline

[Nextmedia via 9to5mac]

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Post tags: Apple, comparison, iPad 3, leak, tablets

Your Fujifilm X100 overexposes images? How to check for the sticky aperture blade issue (video)

2012-02-20T09:19:05Z

The Fujifilm X100 is an amazing camera, but it is plagued by one well documented manufacturing defect — at least the early batches of this mirrorless camera. The ‘sticky aperture blade’ issue results in the lens diaphragm blades not closing down as they should and hence leaving the aperture wide-open even at increasing f-numbers f/8, f/11 and f/16.

The first indication that your X100 may be suffering from the sticky blade problem would be if it tends to overexpose images. Because the aperture doesn’t close as it should on high f-numbers, more light reaches the sensor and results in an overexposed image. The issue won’t be apparent at wide apertures, like f/2 for example.

To check for the issue, set your aperture manually to f/16. At this narrow aperture setting the diaphragm blades should close down and leave only a very opening. Face the lens of the camera and half-press the shutter button repeatedly, if the diaphragm doesn’t close well and the aperture remains relatively open then your Fuji X100 has the problem. The video below is illustrative of the issue.

Thankfully, Fujifilm’s service is very good. Find you local Fuji center and get in touch, they should take your camera in and replace the lens assembly free of charge. Again, this is a well known manufacturing defect. Hopefully, Fujifilm will continue to provide free service for the camera on this issue even beyond the two year warranty period.

Story Timeline

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Post tags: digital cameras, Fujifilm, Fujifilm X100, issue, problem, sticky aperture blade, X100

Galaxy Nexus case review: Case-Mate POP!

2012-02-19T10:19:28Z

Case-Mate does one thing, it makes cases, the kind our devices need; especially costly devices with big glass fronts that we carry all day with us and might take a fall or two. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone is such a device and its slippery plastic body also doesn’t help at all — as you will find by reading our in-depth review right here.

We’ve already reviewed one case for the Galaxy Nexus, the OtterBox Defender, but we understand that it might be overkill for some as it adds significant bulk. This review will look at the Case-Mate POP!. It’s a one piece case that’s made of two materials, a shiny hard plastic and a soft rubber side grip. The rubber is grey but the shiny plastic comes in black, white and pink, creating a “pop”, see!
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Continue reading: Galaxy Nexus case review: Case-Mate POP!

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Post tags: Android, case, Case-Mate, Case-Mate Pop, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Nexus GSM, Galaxy Nexus LTE, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, smartphones

LG Optimus Vu is official: 5-inch 4:3 IPS display, 1.5GHz dual-core SoC, LTE and 8.5mm thick

2012-02-19T13:37:27Z

LG’s entrance in the phablet (phone/tablet) space is now official. The LG Optimus Vu has been announced today on the company’s Korean website. The stocky 5-inch device has a unique 4:3 aspect ratio with a 1024×768 display resolution. The Optimus Vu goes head-on against Samsung’s 5.3-inch 16:9 aspect ratio 1280×800 resolution Galaxy Note.

The Optimus Vu runs on a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm SoC and has an 8-megapixel rear camera, 32GB of built-in storage and support for LTE connectivity. Similar to the Galaxy Nexus, it’s also boasting stylus support for taking notes, annotating images and documents and drawing. It will be running Android 2.3 Gingerbread on release in early March but LG is promising an Ice Cream Sandwich update within 3 months.

LG is marketing the Optimus Vu for its screen’s readability, with the 4:3 aspect ratio (the same as the iPad’s mind you) better matching that of textbooks and paper. The 5-inch screen is also a bright, 650 nits, IPS display panel.

The LG Optimus measures just 8.5mm thick (0.33 inches) and weighs 168g compared to 9.65mm (0.38 inches) and 178g for the Galaxy Note. However, it only comes with a 2,080 mAh battery while Samsung’s beast-phone sports a larger 2,500mAh battery. Below is photo, that surfaced earlier, showing the LG Optimus Vu on the left against the Samsung Galaxy Note on the right.

Summary specs:

139.6 x 90.4 x 8.5mm
Weight: 168g
1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm SoC
5-inch IPS 650 nit display at 1024×768
8-megapixel rear, 1.3-megapixel front cameras
32GB storage
Android 2.3 Gingerbread upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich
2,080 mAh battery
HDMIm, DLNA, Wifi Direct

Story Timeline

[LG (Korean)]

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Post tags: Android, LG, Optimus Vu, phablet, Qualcomm, smartphones

Fujifilm X-S1 26x superzoom bridge camera takes on a Canon DSLR (video)

2012-02-19T18:01:56Z

We’ll admit that we are generally pretty harsh when it comes to superzoom bridge cameras. These are cameras that look like DSLRs but have fixed zoom lenses and sensors much smaller than APS-C. This means that you can’t change lenses, e.g. use any fast and sharp prime lenses, and bridge camera have worse low-light performance than DSLRs.

When we first had a look at Fujifilm’s latest 12-megapixel 26x superzoom X-S1 bridge camera we weren’t too intrigued, especially because of the hefty $800 price point. For the price of the Fujifilm X-S1 you can get an entry DSLR, which has some undisputed benefits, like the bigger sensor and optical viewfinder.

Billy from the Fuji Guys decided to prove us, and everyone else, wrong. He met with Camera Store’s Chris and pitted the X-S1 against the Canon T3 (EOS 1100D) DSLR in an old-style shootout. The following pretty witty and hilarious video ensued from the Canadian pair, huge respect for both.

To sum up, the X-S1 has some pretty incredible reach in terms of zoom range, awesome up to 1cm close macro, very fast autofocus equal to the DSLR, 7fps burst mode and although high-ISO performance at 3,200 is definitely worse than the DSLR it’s actually not too bad, especially using the “pro low light” mode. The X-S1 has a 2/3 inch sensor, the same size as the Fujifilm X10, with a surface area of around 58mm², Canon’s APS-C has a surface area of 329mm². Overall not such a bad value proposition after all.

We have to close by adding that Canon has recently announced the PowerShot G1 X, also selling for $800 (but shipping in March) so you might want to consider it as well. You get a 14.1-megapixel camera with only 4x zoom but with the largest sensor of any point-and-shoot, 1.5 inches — it is even slightly larger than Micro Four Thirds.

Story Timeline

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Post tags: bridge cameras, Canon, Canon EOS 1100D, Canon Rebel T3, comparison, digital cameras, Fuji Guys, Fujifilm, Fujifilm X-S1, interchangeable lens, release date, superzoom, X-S1, X-series

OS X Mountain Lion may drop support for some older Macs

2012-02-18T16:36:48Z

Although Apple’s recently demoed OS X Mountain Lion may not be such a huge upgrade from OS X Lion, the same way Windows 8 will be over Windows 7, yet the new operating system for Macs does come with a set of minimum hardware requirements.

Apparently some Mac models, that can run OS X 10.7 Lion, could be out of luck when it comes to upgrading to the latest OS X 10.8 on public launch this summer. The compatibility list below was compiled by a developer and is based on the Developer Preview of Mountain Lion, so by the time the new OS hits gold state and is released to the masses, more models may be added. This is not an official Apple list.

The following models are confirmed to by OK, according to the developer, for a Mountain Lion upgrade as of now:

iMac (mid 2007 or later)
MacBook (13-inch Aluminum, 2008), (13-inch, Early 2009 or later)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid-2009 or later), (15-inch, 2.4/2.2 GHz), (17-inch, Late 2007 or later)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or later)
Mac Mini (Early 2009 or later)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or later)
Xserve (Early 2009)

Absent from the list are the pre-unibody MacBooks and the first generation MacBook Air, as we said unofficially. Mind you that it has been suggested that legacy integrated Intel GPUs may be to blame, i.e. the Intel GMA 950 and GMA X3100. The full list of apparently non-supported Macs is:

Late 2006 iMacs (iMac5,1, iMac5,2, iMac6,1)
All plastic MacBooks that pre-date the aluminum unibody redesign (MacBook2,1, MacBook3,1, MacBook4,1)
MacBook Pros released prior to June 2007 (MacBookPro2,1, MacBookPro2,2)
The original MacBook Air (MacBookAir1,1)
The Mid-2007 Mac mini (Macmini2,1)
The original Mac Pro and its 8-core 2007 refresh (MacPro1,1, MacPro2,1)
Late 2006 and Early 2008 Xserves (Xserve1,1, Xserve2,1)

If you Mac belongs to latter list, don’t despair, Apple will continue to provide support for OS X Lion for some time, and as we’ve said this is currently only an unofficial rumor.

Story Timeline

[TUAW]

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Post tags: Apple, compatibility, Mac OS X, Mac OS X Mountain Lion, operating systems, OS X, OS X Developer Preview, OS X Mountain Lion